


I remember every little thing

by Lady_of_the_Dawn



Series: All our broken peices [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-08-06 17:32:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16392122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_of_the_Dawn/pseuds/Lady_of_the_Dawn
Summary: Christmas is here, and all the Lightwoods are in Idris for the first time in six years, even if all of them don't know it yet.Or: Jace and Max are finally filled in. Set about two weeks after the others. Definitely read those first!





	1. Chapter 1

“Geez it's cold out there.” Jace announced loudly to the house, the front door slamming shut behind him.

“You've been spoiled by the California weather.” Isabelle huffed, not looking up from her phone. His adopted sister was still dressed in her pajamas, despite the fact that it was nearly noon. Not that Jace could judge. He would be in pajamas as well, but Clary refused to let him on the plane in them.

“Where's Clary?”

“Nice too see you too beloved sister of mine. She went to drop Simon at his house. She'll be here soon, along with our bags, don't you worry. Where's our parents and baby brother?”

“I'm not a baby,” Max huffed from the top of the staircase. “Im fourteen!”

“Practically a toddler.” Jace shook his head, shucked off his coat and hung it up. “Now get down here and hug me, or no presents for you!”

Max obliged.

 

They settled in on the couch after all the hugs had been given and the quips traded. “So where are mom and dad?” Jace asked again. They hadn't come downstairs to welcome him home as they usually would.

He knew it was the wrong question to ask when Max's face fell. “They had to go to work. There was some emergency at the firm.”

Of course. Robert and Maryse normally a least took a few days before Christmas off to be with their children, then going into the office, claiming that they were just doing all their employees a favor, letting them be with thier families for Christmas and New Year's, not everybody had such understanding children, you do understand right?

They hadn't understood, but Alec had tried to help anyway. When they were younger, Alec would build them a fort in the living room and they'd marathon movies and eat to many sweets. But Alec had bailed the second he could, and now they spent Christmas at Clary's parents with Simon and his family.

They'd always had the days before the 25th to spend together at least.

“But I'm sure Maryse and Robert will be back for dinner, you can get all the attention you need then Jace.” Izzy interrupted, laying a hand on Max's shoulder and putting on her brave face, the one that said she was not sure, but wasn't about to tell that to the fourteen year old boy who hadn't yet figured out his parents were kinda jerks.

“Since when do you call them by their first names?” They'd never been that kind of family, even Jace had called them mom and dad since a couple months after they'd adopted him.

“Izzy's fighting with them,” Max chimed in, flopping down in the couch where their sister had left the treasured warm spot.

“I'm not fighting with them. I'm extremely pissed off and wouldn't be here if it didn't mean seeing you two.”

“What for?” Jace asked. He couldn't remember her talking about anything their parents did recently during their almost daily phone calls.

“It's… complicated.’’

Weird. Normally when Izzy was pissed she made you know it, and why. Icy silence wasn't her M.O. Jace made a mental note to get his sister alone later and interrogate her.

Just then Clary pulled into the driveway in their rental, honking her horn and signalling them to come out and help her bring in the bags.

###

Isabelle had been right, Jace had definitely been spoiled by California's warmer weather. He woke up in the middle of of the night shivering.

“Mm, where are you going?” Clary murmered sleepily from beside him.

“Just to get a few more blankets, I'll be back in a minute.” He kissed her on the forhead. 

“Ok,” she sighed, rolling over and falling back asleep.

Quietly he eased himself out of bed and into the hallway. The second floor of the Lightwood house was taken up by four bedrooms and a bathroom they'd all shared, as well as a small closet they kept the extra blankets in. 

Max's room like directly across from Jace's. Issable's and the now empty one we're closer to the bathroom, meaning she’d always gotten the first hot shower on the mornings. (Alec had always let them go first, despite the fact that he was up half an hour before them. He always had cold water, but never complained about it. Alec had never complained about anything.)

To his surprise, Izzy's light was on, her door slightly ajar. Her voice leeked into the hallway and Jace paused. It was nearly two o'clock why was she up? And who was she talking to? He strained his ears to hear, catching only snippets.

“-tomorrow around noon.” A pause “honestly I have no idea how they'll react. Its not like-” her voice faded as she moved around, pacing. “-family,- they’ll love you- if Maryse and Robert- won't except you-”

Jace frowned. Who could she be talking to? Izzy was rarely that tender sounding with anyone outside their family. The last non Lightwood she talked to in that tone was Simon…

Of course. Izzy must have a new boyfriend, one their parents didn't approve of, and she was planning on introducing them tomorrow. (He'd thought she was hiding something, but not this big. She hadn't seriously dated someone since she and Simon broke off after graduation, deciding not to do long distance.)

“Now get some sleep.” her boyfriend said something. “I love you to, good night.” Then silence.

Jace slowly backed up. He wasn't cold enough to walk past Isabelle's room and risk her figuring out he'd been eaves dropping. 

This guy must be special if she's going to all this trouble, Jace thought to himself as he slipped back into bed. 

###

The next morning Jace was the last one out if bed. Yawning he made his way downstairs where he was greeted by their mother at the breakfast table, sipping coffee.

She looked up from the files she was going over with a smile. “Morning Jace. Coffee's in the kitchen.”

“You read my mind mom,” he made a beline for the pot of heaven. “Where's everybody at?”

“Well, your brother is in the living room playing one of those infernal games of his, Izzy and Clary went shopping and your father is at the office, and I'm to join him as soon as I get this finished.”

She sighed at the look he gave her. “I know, I feel bad about it, but this is a very important case honey. I promise we'll be back for dinner again tonight, and we'll do presents after word.”

“I know your work is important, but so is family! I don't even live in the same coast and more, and Isabelle is several hours away.” He set his coffee cup on the countertop and agrily stalked out of the kitchen dining room area into the living room before she can say anything else.

Why can't I keep this family together, why am I not enough? Alec had always done it so easily, but he was gone now. He'd left. And mom and dad pretended he'd never been there, he and Izzy hadn't talked about their wayward brother in a year, and Max only had blurry memories of the brother who used to pack pb&j in a transformer lunchbox for him.

Jace sat with Max and played Minecraft with him until Maryse left and Isabelle returned with several shopping bags in hand.

Clary was at her mom and stepdad's, and the three Lightwood siblings were supposed to join them for dinner in a few hours.

“Hey boys,” Isabelle greeted them. 

“Hey.” Max grunted, swinging his sword and killing a zombie.

“Nice one!” Jace complemented.

“Maryse leave?”

“Yeah, bout half an hour ago.”

“Good, pause the game please. I've got something important to tell, well more accurately show you guys.” 

Ah, the boyfriend. 

Max saved their world then shut the Xbox down. “What is it Izzy?”

“Not here. Grab your coats.” Max looked mistifyed but both boys did as she asked and followed her to her own rental car. The high school freshman called shotgun, leaving his older brother to occupy the back seat.

“Where are we going?” Max asked. Isabelle just replied with “You'll see when we get there.” 

The boyfriend, Jace thought. Mom and dad must really not approve if she doesn't even want to bring him to the house. 

Eventually they pulled into the parking lot of a motel, the only one in Idris. Izzy parked and led her brothers to room 22B. She knocked on the green door, which opened imeditally, like the man behind it had been waiting there for a while. 

The man who was most certainly not Isabelle's new boyfriend,or anyone Jace hadn't seen before. 

“Hey,” Alexander Lightwood smiled nervously, opening the door a bit wider. “Um, come in?” It was a question, for good reason. 

Max made a strangled noise. Jace cursed. Then punched his older brother, once his best friend and closest confident, in the face.


	2. Chapter 2

“What the hell Izzy?” Jace said again. Izzy ignored him, instead offering Alec a towel filled with ice from their small fridge.

“Thanks,” he muttered, taking it and pressing it to his aching jaw.

“You have one heck of a right hook brother.” He commented. Jace didn't even look at him, just continued to glare at Izzy from where he stood in front of the dresser, having refused Alec's offer to sit. Max had taken one of the green armchairs without comment.

Jace's reaction, both the punch and refusing to acknowledge his presence, stung but wasn't exactly unexpected. He'd known that a bed reaction was possible, probable even. Izzy had assured him that they would understand once they heard the whole story like she had. Alec was afraid Jace would storm out before he could hear the whole story.

“What are we doing here Isabelle?” Jace demanded. “Why is he here, why are you helping him.” 

“I brought you here to listen to him, to his side of the story, not so you could break his jaw!” Izzy fired back.

“I'm not interested in 'his side of the story’. That man abandoned us, left us without a word first chance he got. And six years later, you think I'm going to just forgive him? Yeah right.” 

“Jace, please-” 

His brother pointed an angry finger at him, eyes cold and hard. “Don't you talk to me!.” Alec wanted to sink into the bed he was sitting on and never emerge. There were four, maybe five people in the world who could make him feel this guilty with only a look. Three of them were in this motel room, the fourth out window shopping in an effort to 'give you guys some time alone to catch up. I'm sure you'll need it’. (Alec wished he'd stayed. Magnus had a way of grounding and focusing him.)

“You know what? I'm out of here. I don't have to listen to a word you say, even if Izzy somehow thinks you deserve forgiveness.” he turned to stomp out but was stopped but a soft “I want to hear the story,” 

They all turned to look at the youngest Lightwood, who hadn't said a word till now. (God he was so tall now, the same height as Izzy and still growing.)

Max straightened up at all the attention, “I want to hear the story.” he repeated, a bit louder. Alec wanted to cry from relief. Jace just looked annoyed. 

“Why?” The bewildered tone of his brothers voice was like a bucket of ice water being dumped iver his head.

“Because Izzy listened, and forgave him. And she's a thousand times more stubborn and willing to hold grudges. It must be a good excuse then.” Max sounded so sure if himself, so confident, it was hard not to believe him. Alec could see Jace weakening, and took his chance to jump in.

“I'll tell you everything, I swear, and at the end, if it's not enough and you think you can't forgive me though I intend to spend the rest of my life trying to earn forgiveness. At the end, you can walk out and I won't try and stop you. I won't ever contact you again. It will be like before. The offer stands for both of you.” 

It hurts to say, but it's true. If they can't forgive him and choose never to look at him again, Alec will learn to live with that pain. There is also a little voice in the back of his head reminding him that he's changed in the past six years and that he's a very different person now. Isabelle hadn't seemed to mind in the past to weeks, but still.

Isabelle's face is tight, and he can tell she doesn't like that option, but if it means he can try and explain himself to his brothers, Alec is willing to do just about anything.

Jace studdied his face, then swept his eyes around the room making Alec remember that he's a trained police officer. Jace definitely notices the extra suitcase and the make-up on the bathroom counter through the open door. The adopted Lightwood was definitely curious now.

Jace sighed and went over to the chair beside Max, sitting and leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees. “Alright, deal. I'll listen but no guarantees.”

Alec set down the ice pack, ignoring the ache in his jaw. (He could tell it would bruise.) Then he told the story of how his entire life had been turned around, only the fourth time he'd ever said it aloud.

“You both know that I've never wanted to be a layer, and that that's all our parents wanted me to be. To only school's they had me apply to were law schools, or ones with exceptional law programs. And I got into most of them, and they decided which one I was going to go to. They were the ones paying, after all. But what they didn't know was that I'd also applied to another school in New York and that I'd been excepted and planned on attending school there to pursue a degree in creative writing.

“On the day I disipeared, I say them both down and told them two things. The first was about the college, the second was that I'm gay.”

Alec looked Jace straight in the eye when he said that, but he was totally closed off, a trained perfesional. Max also had a good poker face.

“Dad got upset, started screaming at me. But mom, she stopped him and politely and coldly told me to get out of the house, and take all my stuff with me. That I was no longer welcome so long as I continued to spit all over the perfect life they'd offered me. But that I would be welcome home,” Alec added bitterly, “as soon as I came to my senses and accepted my bright future. Meaning if I went to law school and married a pretty girl with a good reputation, they would love me again.”

“Ok, I can see why you didn't want to see… them. But what about us Alec? We wouldn't have cared, you have to know that.” Jace said, face pained. Not angry at him anymore, but still confused and upset.

“Because mom said that if I ever contacted any of you again, the same would happen to you. Disowned and thrown out. And I couldn't do that to you, any of you. No matter how much it hurt all of us.”

Alec looked down at his hands, a tear made it's way down his cheek. He heard Jace get up and cross the room to stand directly in front of him.

“Alec,” the younger man said, his voice strained with the effort of not crying as well. Alec looked up and Jace grabbed him by the shoulders wordlessly, tugging him up and into a crushing hug that he returned. Izzy stood up as well, joining them, then Max.

The Lightwood siblings stood like that for a very long time, all crying, all unwilling to let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time Magnus will be there I promise

**Author's Note:**

> Quick note on Jace in this. Alec was the oldest child, who was the protector of the younger kids. When he was forced away, that burden shifted to Jace. Some on Izzy yes, but mostly Jace as the next oldest. He's also been a Lightwood since age five, after abandoned by his father (Valentine) and because of that has serious abandonment issues, which surface in the next chapter.
> 
> As for ages Alec is 24, Magnus is 25 (he took a year off after high school), Jace is 23 and a cop, Izzy is 22 and in her senior year to become a medical examiner, and Max is 14 and a freshman in high school


End file.
